


Cracked But Never Broken

by sunandsana



Series: Afire Love [5]
Category: NCT (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hopefully not too much, M/M, Major Character Injury, Some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28728042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunandsana/pseuds/sunandsana
Summary: Messages from Jeno:Call me right nowIts an emergency
Relationships: Son Youngjae | Eric/Na Jaemin
Series: Afire Love [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079108
Comments: 9
Kudos: 36





	Cracked But Never Broken

Eric burst into laughter as he watched Sunwoo make a ridiculous face while they played mafia. Sunwoo had been killed and was clearly unimpressed but no one cared. He laughed at his best friend's anger and went back to mediating the game. It was New Year’s Eve and the boys were glad to be able to spend the day at home rather than in a crowded venue.

He was in the middle of asking the mafia who they wanted to kill when his phone pinged with a message notification. He ignored it, knowing how seriously the embers took playing mafia. Another message came and he once again ignored it. Eric continued before a phone call interrupted him. 

“One second guys, someone keeps calling me.” 

He pulled the phone out and was surprised to see 2 messages from Jeno and a missed call. He furrowed his eyebrows and immediately opened their chat. 

Jeno  
Call me right now  
Its an emergency

Eric instantly opened his call log and called Jeno, ignoring the members whining about him interrupting their game. Jeno picked up on the second ring. 

“Jeno, what’s up? Did something happen?” Eric questioned, feeling his nerves rise. 

“It’s Jaemin.” 

Eric felt the world stop at the mention of his boyfriend. Jeno’s voice was hoarse as if he’d been crying for a while. Eric felt someone come up behind him and tap him but he shrugged them off. 

“What about him Jeno? Is he hurt? Where is he? Can I speak to him?” 

“He’s in the hospital, we’re on our way there.” Jeno paused. “He was hit by a car.” 

Eric wasn’t sure but he thinks he screamed, tears streaming down his face as the rest of the boys rushed to gather around him. 

He was too shocked to speak, allowing the phone to be taken from him as he stood frozen in place. 

“Jeno-ssi, this is Sunwoo. Can you tell me what happened?” Sunwoo took over. “Ok, yeah. We’ll call our manager and I’ll come with him as soon as possible. What hospital is that?” He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the name. “He should be there in an hour. Text if you have any updates. Thank you.” 

The rest of them looked at him anxiously from where they had managed to get Eric to sit down on the couch. Sunwoo placed the phone down and looked at Sangyeon. “Jaemin is in the SNU Hospital. Call manager hyung and tell him that we need to get Eric there as soon as possible. I’m going with him.” His words left no room for question. 

Sangyeon nodded and rushed to make the call. 

“What happened Sunwoo?” Kevin insisted. 

Sunwoo looked at his best friend, feeling horrible for having to be the one to repeat the event. “From what the police told Jeno, Jaemin seemed to be heading to his car from a flower shop when a speeding car hit him at the crosswalk. He was pretty injured at the scene and the ambulance immediately transferred him to the hospital. They don’t know exactly what’s wrong. His parents are coming from their vacation on Jeju right now.” 

Sunwoo seemed to be holding a detail back, Eric looked at him desperately. “You aren’t saying something. Spit it out.” Eric whispered. 

“The police said that he kept repeating something when they were getting him into the ambulance.” The taller paused. Eric’s eyes pleaded with him to continue. “He kept asking for Eric.” 

And like a broken dam, Eric sobbed into the closet shoulder which happened to be Changmins. The members exchanged worried looks, feeling useless since they couldn’t say anything to lessen his pain. Sangyeon came back into the room with masks and hats for Eric and Sunwoo. Halnyeon, who had left the room for a few minutes, returned with a packet of tissues. 

“Manager hyung is going to be outside in 5 minutes. Apparently the company had already informed him.” 

Everyone tensed, sensing that there was more to the story but ignored it in favor of helping Eric clean his face and get his mask and hat on. Eric was basically catatonic, incapable of thinking of anything but the fact that the love of his life was in a hospital suffering. 

Sunwoo held onto Eric’s hand and led him outside to where their manager was waiting in the car. He didn’t speak to either of them, and immediately drove off. The radio was on, playing some random trot song that barely registered in his mind. 

A commercial cut the music off and a broadcaster began speaking. 

“In breaking news, idol singer Na Jaemin from the popular Kpop Nct Dream was hit by a car less than an hour ago and has been rushed to an unnamed Sources say that the young man was going to his car with some flowers when the incident took place. Police refused to answer questions but a bystander who called the cops mentioned that the young man kept repeating the name Eric, over and over again. Could this be the same Eric of the idol group The Boys who fans insist Jaemin is dating? We’ll learn more soon. Stay tuned.” Sunwoo heard his manager curse and shut the radio off. He sighed and looked over at his best friend. 

The rest of the car ride was silent and within 45 minutes, after their manager breaking some traffic laws, they made it to the VIP entrance of the hospital where an Nct manager was waiting for them. Eric watched as his manager moved forward to discuss some things with them and he allowed Sunwoo to pull him along. They entered the elevator and the rapper was instantly attacked by the sterile smell of hospitals. 

He and Jaemin had briefly discussed their mutual hatred for hospitals. Eric’s stemming from a bad encounter with a pediatrician and Jaemin from his year long monthly visits to the hospital after his back injury. Again, no one said a word in the elevator as they watched a young man shed silent tears for his lover. 

They got off on the VIP floor the Nct manager guided them towards the private ward Jaemin would be moved to after his surgery. Eric spotted a couple Nct members from various units sitting on the hard hospital chairs and a few of them turned when they heard footsteps coming their way. Jeno spotted him and immediately got up from his chair to grab him in a hug. 

Eric couldn’t hold back his sobs any longer and clutched at the other with an iron grip. 

“What am I gonna do? How could this happen?” Eric whispered. 

Jeno held him back just as tightly, shaking as he cried with him. “It’s Jaemin. He’s strong, he’ll get through this. He has to.” 

Eric nodded, unable to say anything for fear of losing the last thread of sanity he had left. 

Jeno grabbed his hand and nodded at Sunwoo , leading them both to 2 empty chairs. Eric looked around, surveying who had come. All the Dream members were present and talking quietly amongst themselves, Taeyong greeted him as he passed by, Jungwoo was sleeping against the wall with visible tears tracks down his face. Jaehyun and Doyoung were seated at the far end staring blankly at the wall. 

Eric sat down and wiped his eyes with a tissue. “So, what did the doctor say?” 

Taeyong was unsurprisingly the one with the most information. “Well, it’s quite a lot. I don’t know if you need the full details.” 

Eric closed his eyes and sighed, “I’m his boyfriend. I deserve to know what’s wrong. Lay it on me.” 

And so Taeyong did, with a heavy heart. 

“A fractured wrist and collarbone, a broken foot, a punctured lung from a broken rib and internal bleeding in his skull. He’s in surgery now, the doctor said it could take a couple hours to finish but they’ll update whenever they can.” 

Eric dropped his face into his hands, trying and failing to stave off new tears. He audibly whimpered, feeling so much like a frightened kitten. A hand rubbed at his back and another one brushed through his hair. Jaemin lived doing that, he said it helped him feel closer to Eric when he let him play with his hair. More tears came and Eric just resigned himself to it being inevitable and let them fall freely. 

His crying must’ve woken Jungwoo up who looked around for the source of the sound. His eyes fell upon a splotchy face Eric and he felt his heart break, something everyone was in consensus on. 

Jungwoo got up from his seat and knelt down in front of the younger boy. “Hey Eric.” He whispered. 

Eric looked down into the elders eyes, “Hey hyung. Long time no see huh?” His joke fell flat but Jungwoo still graced him with a giggle. 

“Yeah, long time.” He paused, “How are you holding up?” 

Eric scoffed an incredulous laugh. “I’m not actually, but that’s to be expected I guess.” 

Jungwoo didn’t reply, simply pulling him into a Reid hug before sitting back down. 

The next hour followed in much of the same manner. People coming in and out, people greeting Eric and him barely replying. Sunwoo seemed to be trying to break the tension, starting up a conversation about video games with an almost silent Jisung and an overly chatty Chenle. That was a detail Jaemin had let Eric in on, that Chenle spoke ten times more than normal when he was anxious. 

Eric looked away from the ceiling as he heard the door open. He assumed it would be their lagers coming back with food from the cafeteria but it was not. An older couple entered and Eric watched as Taeyong got up to greet them. They were too far for Eric to recognize but he put it together to conclude that they must be Jaemin’s parents. The woman seemed distressed while the man attempted to keep his act together. One by one the Nct members greeted them, Jeno going last. 

Jeno hugged Jaemin’s mom as she silently cried, her husband rubbing her back as he nodded at Jeno. 

The older boy turned towards Eric and the younger stood up and bowed. “Eomeoni, this is Eric.” He started. 

“Jaemin’s boyfriend, yes I know. I’m Na Yena” She finished and pulled him into a strong hug. She pulled away and smiled at him slightly. “You’re much more handsome than the pictures he sends me give you credit for.” 

Eric gave her a shaky smile. He greeted Jaemin’s dad as well who gave him a firm handshake. 

“It’s nice to finally meet the boy who’s made our Jaemin so happy for the past year. Although I do wish it was under different circumstances.” 

Eric nodded, unwilling to say anything else. Their managers finally came back from the cafeteria, nearly a dozen bags of food carried between the 2. Nct’s manager greeted Jaemin’s parents before he pulled them aside to give them a rundown on their son's injuries. 

Silence follows once again and Eric barely noticed when someone took the seat beside him. He glanced over and was surprised to find that his boyfriend's mom was the one occupying the chair. 

“I knew you were special the moment he first mentioned you.” She spoke airily. 

Eric was surprised but remained silent, giving her the opportunity to continue. 

“He had come home for a random break in March and kept raving about a boy named Eric who he’d been seeing. I was surprised, not because he was gay. He came out in middle school but I had always had a hunch. No, I was surprised because he had never once spoken about any of his dates to me.” 

This was news to Eric. Sure, he knew his boyfriend tended to speak about him a lot but he hadn’t known that he was the first boyfriend the other had told his parents about. 

“It was like he was a kid again. Excited, blushing and giddy. He was completely enamored by you. And when he showed me a picture of you two, I could see just how much you really truly loved him back. Even if you didn’t know it yet.” 

It was her turn to wait for Eric to speak up. 

“I love your son like I’ve never loved anyone in this world, except for maybe my family.” Eric started. “The moment I met him it was as if he was the only thing I could think about. My group members made fun of me for weeks because of how awestruck I was. He’s such a force to be reckoned with, I’m just glad to be in his orbit.” 

Yena grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. “You're more than just in his orbit sweetheart, he revolves around you like the earth revolves around the sun.” 

Eric squeezed her hand back and gave her a small smile. He was about to respond when one of the nurses dorm Jaemin’s surgery walked towards them. 

“I have some news about Na Jaemin.” They all nodded for her to continue. “He’s currently stable, we’ve taken care of most of his injuries but the bleeding in his skull will take a couple more hours to get under control. That’s all I have for now.” 

Thanks echoed after her to which she gently smiled and returned to the operation too. 

Eric got up for the first time in an hour and stretched before walking to get some food. While he sighed he could keep much down, he knew Jaemin would be incredibly upset if he didn’t eat. He grabbed a mini croissant and a bottle of water before walking from where the Dream members and Sunwoo were sitting. 

He smiled at them slightly and sat on the floor by Renjun who wrapped an arm around his shoulders, seeking to comfort and be comforted in return. 

“What are you guys talking about?” 

“We were just seeing who would be more likely to win a fist fight, you or Jaemin.” Jisung spoke up. 

Eric chuckled, “Against each other? Or other people.” 

“Against Chenle actually.” Said boy giggled at Eric mischievously. 

“Oh, that’s obvious then.” They all looked at him expectantly. “Neither of us, Chenle would destroy us both.” 

Words of agreement echoed throughout the hall. 

“Ok, I have one.” Mark said from where he was lying on 3 chairs. “Sunwoo or Renjun, first person to get angry at me for not telling a story quick enough.” 

Eric giggled as the group bursted into conversation. They manage to rope everyone, even Jaemin’s parents who barely knew Sunwoo, into giving their opinions. And that’s how the next 2 hours passed, with everyone taking a turn thinking of ridiculous scenarios and fighting over who fit the Stan tent the best. 

Finally, while they were in a heated discussion about who the best chef in Nct was, Jaemin’s surgeon came out and greeted them. 

“I assume you’re all here for Na Jaemin.” They all nodded and he proceeded. “Jaemin was hit pretty badly in the accident. However most of his injuries were quite minimal and required minimally invasive operations.” 

Eric sensed a but coming. 

“But,” and there it was, “he did suffer from a punctured lung and internal bleeding in his skull which required us to operate on him for longer. What I’m about to tell you may shock you but just know that it was to be expected and that Jaemin-ssi should make a full recovery.” A pin could drop and they’d all hear it from how silent everyone was. “Jaemin is currently in a coma.” 

The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. Eric’s mood which had increasingly gotten better over the past few hours immediately plummeted. He felt a hand grab his and briefly glanced to see Jaemin’s mom by his side. 

“Do you know how long it’s expected to last?” Taeyong spoke up. 

“These things are quite tricky. I don’t want to give you a time frame only for it to not happen. But for ease of mind, I hope no longer than a month.” 

A month. A month without hearing his boyfriends laugh, a month of not going on dates, of jut hearing his dumb jokes, of not kissing his stupid lips. 

Eric distantly registered the doctor saying that Jaemin had been transferred to his room so they could visit him in groups of 2. They thanked the doctor and he left them with a rueful smile. 

Everyone unanimously decided that Jaemin’s parents should go first and so they did. Yena squeezed her son's boyfriend's hand once more and followed her husband. 

They exited the room 20 inured later, faces wet with tears but seeming more at ease than they had when they entered the hospital. 

“I think Eric should go next.” Jeno spoke up. He looked at them all, daring them to disagree and nodding when no one did. “Ok great. Eric, go ahead.” 

Eric didn’t have it in him to disagree so he whispered his thanks and followed the nurse to the room. He paused outside, closing his eyes to steel himself for the state he was about to see Jaemin in and slowly pushed the door open. He looked inside and realized no amount of preparation would’ve made him better about what he was seeing. 

His normally lively boyfriend was in a huge hospital bed, dozens of monitors and tubes were attached to him, making him look tiny in comparison. White bandages seemed to be a fixture on his body but the one wrapped around his head hurt Eric the most. Surprisingly, his face looked calm, as if he was simply asleep. Eric quietly walked towards the seat next to the end and sat down. He carefully grabbed his boyfriends hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it. 

“I’m so glad you’re ok.” He whispered. “Now you just have to come back to me. Don’t leave me here to fend for myself. It’s us against the world right?” 

Eric glanced at the bedside table when he noticed something glinting on it. Jaemin’s personal effects had been placed there and Eric’s tears fell harder as he saw their couple ring and bracelet by his wallet. He turned back towards his boyfriend. 

“You’re my one and only. I can’t live without you. So no matter how selfish this sounds if you can even hear me, come back for me.” 

Eric spent the next 10 minutes simply sitting at his bedside, staring at his peaceful face. When he felt he’d taken enough time to himself, he got up and knelt over his boyfriend to place a quick kiss on his forehead. 

“I love you Na Jaemin.” 

He quickly exited the room and gestured for the next duo to go as he wiped his eyes. 

Sunwoo was standing by his manager and when they noticed him come out they gestured to him to come over. 

“I know you’d probably like to stay longer but there’s a situation we have to take care of today.” 

Eric gestured for his manager to go on. 

“There’s no way to say this, but your relationship has been outed.” 

Eric paused, his Brian taking a minute to process this new information. Suddenly he emerged being in the van earlier that day and hearing something about Jaemin and himself on the radio. 

“H-how?” He stuttered, heart racing so fast he thought he was going to faint. 

“As you know, Jaemin kept calling your name after the incident.” 

“So? Maybe we can play it off as us being just friends.” Eric desperately interrupted. 

“The media also happened to get their hands on the bouquet of flowers he had bought for you. There was a note attached.” 

Eric winced. Notes were always something Jaemin enjoyed personalizing, sometimes including full love letters to Eric if he felt the other way having a bad day. “What did it say?” 

Their manager pulled up a picture and handed it to him. There was blood on the card but the words were barely impacted. It read “-To my one and only Eric, happy 1 year anniversary! I love you to the moon and back.” 

In any other situations Eric would’ve cooed and blushed at the note but on this particular day, at this particular time, he sighed and glanced up at his manager. 

“What are we gonna do?” 

The answer came in the form of a joint press conference between SM entertainment and Cre.ker. Eric was a nervous mess as he fidgeted in the makeup chair. 

No amount of makeup was going to cover the dark circles under his eyes or the redness that surrounded his entire face but he allowed the makeup artist to try. 20 minutes later he was standing backstage waiting to be called out to literally be thrown to the wolves. 

He and Jaemin had imagined coming out often. However the scenarios they came up with never involved one of them being in a coma and the other being forced to answer intimate questions while still coping with the events.

Eric heard his cue and took a deep breath, asking out into the stage and trying not to since at the flashing lights of camera and the questions being yelled at him. 

He made his way to the podium as he had rehearsed earlier and nodded. Everyone stopped taking as he cleared his throat, eager to not miss a single word he was about to speak. 

“Hello, my name is Son Eric and I’m a member of an idol group called The Boyz. As many of you know, Na Jaemin was in an accident yesterday that left him incredibly injured. The reason I’m here today is because Jaemin was heard saying my name after the incident and a note he had written for me on the flowers he bought was spread across the internet.” Eric paused, attempting to prevent his throat from closing and tears from falling down his face. “Now, while I would’ve preferred for that note to not be made public, it was and I’m here to come clean. There have been multiple fan made rumors about me and Jaemin being more than friends. I can say in full confidence that those rumors are true.” 

Shouts erupted within the conference hall, Eric simply moved back and allowed his manager to speak into the mike. “Questions will not be taken until Eric is finished speaking.” 

Silence ensued and Eric moved forward to continue. “Jaemin and I have been together for a year as the note you’ve all seen indicates. Today is New Years and our 1st anniversary and instead of spending it together as a couple, I’m spending it here while my boyfriend suffers in a hospital. I’m well aware of how this country views homosexual couples. Believe me, I’m well acquainted with homophobia. But I will not allow you people to trample over our relationship after you were the ones to out us without our consent. I love Na Jaemin like I’ve never loved anyone else. If I’m guilty of anything, it’s for not loving him nearly as much as he deserves. So yes, I apologize for lying to our fans but I will not apologize for being in love. I can only ask that the general public finds it within their hearts to accept us for who we are because we’re not going to change. Now, please let me grieve my boyfriend's injuries in peace.” 

Eric stepped back and walked off the stage, letting their managers take over any questions people had. He sped his way through the venue and entered his dressing room only to be greeted by his whole group. 

“What are you guys doing here?” He questioned in shock. 

Sangyeon got up and pulled him into a tight hug. “We couldn’t let you go through this alone.” 

Juyeon stepped out from the group and shook his whole body. “Dude, that was so badass. You really told them to fuck off in the most polite yet passive aggressive way I’ve ever witnessed in my life.” 

Eric chuckled slightly, feeling the exhaustion from the past 2 days take over his body. 

“I just said what I wanted to. This isn’t how I imagined we’d come out but it’s the best we’ve got. I just wish Jaemin was here to do it with me.” 

Jaehyun spoke up next. “Well, we should let you get some rest before you go and visit Jaemin at the hospital. Come on, we made manager hyung get us lunch.” 

Eric followed them out, grateful that he had so many people willing to help him through this crazy time. He ignored the yells of paparazzi, too tired to give them any attention. 

They quickly went home, and he ate lunch with the rest of the boyz. It was a quiet affair but no one seemed to mind. They decided to swap the members who would go with him and this time Jaehyun was chosen. 

The ride to the hospital was a bit more lively, with Jaehyun cracking stupid jokes and singing along to the radio. It was easier to make jokes now that it was almost certain that Jaemin would recover but there was still a somber mood as they walked into the hospital. 

Less members were present this time but not by much. The dreamies were still there along with Doyoung but they all looked much better. There was another person he didn’t recognize sitting by Jisung but he figured they would introduce him. 

Chenle launched himself at Eric, the older simply laughing and allowing him to attach himself. 

“Eric hyung! I missed you.” 

“It’s barely been 24 hours Chenle, how could you miss me.” 

Chenle pulled back slightly to pout at him. “I just did.” 

A pat to the head appeased the younger and he reluctantly removed his body from Eric’s to allow the elder to greet everyone else. He gave hugs to everyone and stopped as he got to Jisung. 

Jisung smiled at him shyly, “Hey hyung.” He pointed at the blonde boy sitting next to him. “This is my boyfriend Jay.” 

Eric grinned at Jisung. “Aww, our little Jisungie is growing up!” He cooed before turning and bowing at Jay to which the other reciprocated. 

“I’m Eric, it’s nice to meet you.” Eric offered his hand. 

“I’m Jay, and it’s nice to meet you too.” He shook Eric’s hand. 

Now that he was up close he thought he recognized the boy in front of him, before it finally clicked. “Oh, you’re from enhypen right? That group from the survival show?” 

Jay blushed as the older man recognized him. “Ah, yeah that’s me.” 

Jaehyun beamed at him from the side. “We watched your show all the time. You’re incredibly talented.” 

If even humanly possible, Jay’s blush darkened and he thanked him quietly before shoving his face into Jisung’s shoulder causing the rest of them to smile at them godly as Jisung ruffled his boyfriends hair. 

Eric finally sat down before he turned to Doyoung. “Hyung, are Jaemin’s parents here?” 

“Yeah. They’re in his room right now if you’d like to go in. I’m sure they’d love to see you.” 

Eric agreed and walked the short distance to his boyfriend's room. He knocked on the door to announce his arrival and the older couple looked up and smiled at him gently. 

“Eric-ah, it’s great to see you.” Eric bowed at them before his mother swept him into a hug. He gently sat down on the chair from yesterday, instantly grabbing Jaemin’s hand like a lifeline. 

The room remained silent before Yena broke it. 

“We watched your press conference today.” She spoke mildly. 

Eric looked over and tried to gauge if they were upset or not. She must’ve noticed his curious looks, she continued. 

“I think it’s a very brave thing that you did, standing up for you and my son's relationship. Anyone else would’ve run with their tail between their legs.” 

Eric shook his head modestly. “Oh, I just did what Jaemin would do for me.” He glanced at his boyfriend and smiled slightly. 

This time it was Jaemin’s dad who answered. “That’s what makes you special, is it not?” 

Eric blushed and looked away from their gazes, suddenly finding the table to be quite interesting. He noticed that the jewelry that was there yesterday was gone and he began to panic. 

“Did someone move the jewelry that was here?” Eric spoke urgently. 

“Ah,” Yena exclaimed, “I knew I was forgetting to tell you something. Taeyong mentioned yesterday that it was your couples jewelry so I took the liberty of putting it on his right hand. Couldn’t bare the thought of misplacing it and what’s safer than it being in its rightful place?” 

Eric felt as if his heart was going to explode. His own family was supportive of his relationship but they weren’t exactly the affectionate type. But Jaemin’s parents had been their biggest supporters from day one and Eric knew he could never repay them for their kindness. 

————

The next 2 and a half weeks followed in a similar routine. Since their official schedules had been cancelled until further notice, Eric’s group only had dance and vocal practice every day. While some said Eric should take a break, he was happy for some sort of distraction. 

So, after practice he’d return home, shower, eat lunch/dinner and get dropped off at the hospital by his manager who’d pick him up a few hours later. 

He spent most of his time by Jaemin’s bedside, watching as people came in and out. A few of the other’s friends came and many of them congratulated them on their relationship to which Eric would simply smile to ignore the pain in his chest. 

When he was alone in the room he’d simply talk to him as if he could hear him. He’d read somewhere that people in comas could possibly hear the sounds around them so he decided to give it a try. It was quite lonely, speaking to the elder and embody expecting a response but it was the best he could get so he pushed forward. 

It was 3 weeks after the accident that something changed. 

“-and so my manager has been getting a lot of these calls from magazines who want to interview us and I’m just like, ‘my boyfriend is still confined to a hospital bed and that’s all you people can think of?’ But our managers said that it would be good publicity so they’ve scheduled some with the big magazines. I guess he’s right. I am surprised that the reaction is mainly positive. I guess people like that were basically in a kdrama about forbidden love and some other bullshit. Oh well-“ Eric cut himself off from his rant as he noticed a twitch in Jaemin’s hand. 

He paused and looked closely to make sure it wasn’t a one off. And sure enough, 30 seconds later another twitch happened. 

Eric immediately pressed on the button for the nurse. As the woman appeared he explained what happened. 

“I saw his hand twitch, twice now.” 

She nodded and as she stepped closer both of Jaemin’s hands twitched so she called for the rest of the medical team. A different curse escorted a frazzled Eric out of the room. The boys outside and Jaemin’s parents asked him what happened. 

“I was just talking to him like I usually do and he started twitching. No one told me anything but I think it’s a good sign?” 

They all decided to sit down and just let the doctors do what they needed to. 30 minutes later Jaemin’s doctor exited the room and they all looked at him expectantly. 

“He’s awake.” 

A sigh of relief passed through everyone and someone started laughing while others simply cried. Eric did neither as he shot out of his seat. 

“When can we see him?” 

The doctor smiled gently down at him. “Right now actually, he might be too tired to speak but he’s conscious enough to physically respond to any questions. There doesn’t seem to be any lasting impacts on his brain function but we’ll know more after some tests.” 

Jaemin’s parents thanked the doctor before they quickly entered the room just like after the surgery. Unlike that time, Eric couldn’t sit and wait patiently. His anxiety forced him to incessantly pace around for the 30 minutes that they were inside. 

The couple finally came out and smiled gently at Eric. 

“He was asking for you.” Jaemin’s dad said softly. “It’s actually the only thing he verbally said.” 

Eric smiled, too scatterbrained to blush, and practically ran to the room. He stepped in and it was as if all the stress from the past 3 weeks was lifted from his body. 

“Baby.” He spoke quietly as he rushed to Jaemin’s bedside, grabbing his hand gently. “I missed you so fucking much.” 

Jaemin looked at him with his eyes, unable to move his neck due the brace that was around it. His lips moved upwards slightly and he opened his mouth. 

“Eric.” He spoke hoarsely. 

Eric felt tears stream down his face but he ignored them and simply nodded down at his boyfriend. 

“Yeah, that’s me. I’m here Nana, you’re safe. I’m so glad you’re awake now. You gave me and everybody else quite the scare.” 

Eric couldn’t help himself and placed a quick kiss to his boyfriend's hand. Jaemin seemed to pout, a look Eric didn’t miss. 

“What’s wrong babe?” Eric hummed, willing to do anything to remove the pout. 

Jaemin seemed to struggle before he spoke up again. “Kiss.” 

Eric looked at him slightly confused. “Kiss? I just gave you a kiss though. You want another one?” 

“Yes. Kiss.” He paused to take a breath. “Lips.”

Eric stared at him for a minute, trying to decipher what he was saying before he finally got it. 

He smirked at his needy boyfriend. “I see, you want a kiss on the lips.” 

Jaemin made a move that resembled a nod and Eric obliged. He knelt down to his boyfriends lips and softly pecked him. He forgot how much he loved kissing him as he sighed against the others lips. Jaemin hummed slightly, to which Eric just giggled and pulled away. 

“I’m so glad you’re ok.” 

And for the first night in 3 weeks, Eric fell asleep easily on a hard hospital chair by his boyfriends bedside holding his hand.

**Author's Note:**

> So... it’s my birthday!🥳🥳 I’m officially 19 but sadly I feel no different :( 
> 
> Anyway, I decided to write a slightly angsty fic this time to broaden my horizons. I genuinely hope you all enjoyed it and don’t be afraid to leave me some feedback or suggestions! Thank you for reading😊


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